We search the world, asking questions. Sometimes we get answers that change the way we look at our lives and the cosmos.

Monday, November 10, 2008

The bones of Jesus

If archeologists discovered the bones of Jesus, thereby disproving the notion of physical Ascension to heaven, what percentage of Church authorities might prefer to suppress this information rather than have it become widely known?

It depends on the strategy of the varied religious organizations. Many would claim that the bones were not those of Jesus based on their unshakable faith in the physical ascension of Jesus. Others would say the ascension of Jesus was a metaphor for spiritual triumph over death. And others might just own up, get it over with, admit it and move on without blinking, in the sure knowledge that their congregation of sheeple would accept any kind of magic bullet theory as long as they are allowed to continue in the security of their belief system. Like REv Peter Popoff, the cane tossing evangelical healer, found guilty of fraud, hasn't missed a beat and hasn't lost his congregation or their cash donations. A better example of this might be the Mormons. They revere four books as scripture. Bible, Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants and the Pearl of Great Price. The founder of Mormonism, Joseph Smith Jr. came into the possession of an egyptian mummy sometime during the 1830's and stated that he had translated a papyrus scroll it contained and that the scroll was a few missing books of the Old Testament. The manuscript was named The Pearl of Great Price and was adopted as scripture. The original papyrus was reportedly destroyed in the Chicago fire. During the 1980's the original papyrus resurfaced and was immediately translated by experts at Brigham Young University in Utah. They found the papyri were simply common funerary prayers. The Mormons published these findings and essentially advised their followers that the original manuscript had been a kind of touchstone inspiring revelation in Joseph Smith Jr. not a direct translation. The Doctrine and Covenants continues to be revered as scripture by members of the Mormon religion today.

I don't think any archeologist is likely to truly find "Jesus's bones". I don't believe there was a historical "Jesus", so if anyone claimed to have found his bones I would discount it as wishful thinking at best.

The four Gospels strike me as being forgeries, perhaps written with political goals in mind.

Christianity eventually became the state religion of Rome.

In saying the above I don't mean to disparage anyone's faith, nor do I bear any particular hostility towards Christianity; I'm just responding to the question. To each his own.

The first would be the Roman Catholic Church because it would have rewrite almost all of its basic canon law, dsestroy many of its papal bulls, it would have to dismantle the Society for the Preservation of The Faith (Inquisition) and gut the Vatican library. The next would be the American evangelical churches. They would lose the $billions they've taken from their adherents and would definitely kill to suppress the discovery. A war would start in the Middle East and Jerusalem would be seized and burned to the ground. Many charismatic orders would disband and suicides and homicides would occur if the truth got out. University Divinity schools would shut down, but Depts. of Archaelology would thrive. Fundamentalist colleges would close. It would be a field day for hit men and hired assassins. It would be mad chaos. And mobs don't think; they go on rampages. Israel would demand its property back and the Mossad would lead the way against resisters. It would be just like the Crusades and the Holy Inquisition. I have no doubt a few nukes would be tossed back and forth. You asked.